Author Interview with Natacha Guyot

Natacha is a French researcher, author, and public speaker. After studying at Paris III Sorbonne Nouvelle and King’s College London, she relocated to Texas in summer 2016. There, she has embarked on a new academic journey: she started doctoral studies in Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Her main fields of interest are Science fiction, Gender Studies, Children Media and Fan Studies.

Besides her nonfiction work, she also writes Science Fiction and Fantasy stories.

She is a feminist, nerd, Christian, cat lady, book dragon and Earl Grey drinker.

Her new Science Fiction novella, Dream Crusher, is coming out in Kindle and paperback format in November 2016.

Please tell us a bit about your new book. Where does it fit into your catalogue?

Dream Crusher is a Science Fiction novella, the first of my titles taking place in the Dantek System Records universe. I hope to write more stories (not direct sequels) in this same setting, which is also why the print version includes an extra short story, Homeless.

In Dream Crusher, human settlers came to the Dantek System a few generations prior to the beginning of the story, when Earth died. They are the most recent species in a system that has had many alien species cohabit in both peace and war over centuries.

The novella tells the story of human special agent Morden Avachk after he finds out about preparations for biological weapons and projects of genocide against the Prisias species. He seeks out Prisias priestess Vahika’s help so she and his team can stop the terrorists before they act. They will do their best to save innocent lives even when their hierarchy wants them to keep quiet.

How have your academic studies influenced your fiction writing?

I gained a lot of education and practical training in writing and research thanks to my academic studies. It taught me how to structure and outline, do my research. It is hard for me to realise that I took a decade-long break from original fiction. Academic studies have helped me learn to network and how to talk about my written work at conferences or lectures.

The fact that my fields of interest (Science Fiction, Fantasy, film studies, genders studies, fan communities) tie to my original writing has also given me new ideas over the years.

In just my first semester of doctoral studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, I have been challenged as a writer in two of my three classes!

Which other authors have most inspired you?

A lot of authors have inspired me to a great extent. Philippa Ballantine, C.J. Cherryh and Ann McCaffrey are some of my greatest inspirations for fiction.

Stephenie Meyer’s The Host has also been very influential in some of my more recent work.

For nonfiction Joseph Campbell, Frederick Turner and Clarissa Pinkola Estes have had an incredible impact on my research and my work.

Over the past year, I have been reading a lot of Christian nonfiction and authors such as Beth Moore, Marian Jordan and Mary DeMuth have been giving me new ideas and perspectives.

Do you enjoy being an indie author?

I love it. It is very challenging and I spent more than a year mostly reading about indie publishing and book marketing, but it was a great decision to go that route.

I like how much versatility and creative controls it allows.

Since I write short pieces, collections of short pieces or medium length ones, as well as both fiction and nonfiction, it is very practical for me. Being able to take care of my publication and promotion calendar matters too.

What are your future writing plans?

I am mostly focusing on class projects at this point, and am enjoying getting opportunities for workshop classes, such as a screenwriting one this semester. When I get more time, probably after the couple months of strong promotion for Dream Crusher, I have two original fiction projects lined up I want to focus on.

The first is continuing the English translation and heavy revision of my first ever novel (which I had written in French a decade ago). Once this is done, I want to write the second instalment for my series Clairvoyance Chronicles.